By Tyson Trudel, Maritime Education Manager
After months of work 
and through the combined efforts of the lead partners—Highline Public schools, Northwest Maritime Center, Duwamish River Clean-up Coalition (DRCC), and Port of Seattle—Maritime High School officially launched on September 2! In the opening weeks of school, students have explored the interim campus in Des Moines and have started to explore the Duwamish Valley community. The whole school spent three days in the South Park community, diving into the focus question for our first project, “What Makes a Community?”, by participating in a walking tour of South Park with DRCC, planting native plants with Port of Seattle at a habitat restoration site in Duwamish People’s Park, and rowing longboat Bear on the Duwamish River.
At the end of each day, as the groups debriefed their daily experiences, a few consistent themes emerged: appreciation, enjoyment, and enthusiasm. Students appreciated the opportunity to plant native plants to support the habitat restoration work the Port of Seattle is doing in Duwamish People’s Park. They enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about the South Park community on walking tours with Maggie Angel Cano of DRCC, and students embraced the opportunity to get out on the waters of the Duwamish River on the longboat.
Photos by Highline Public Schools & Anne Heavey